Zygo repotting options
 

Got this for Valentine's Day. I'm a reasonably experienced orchid grower, but I rarely stray outside of the Vanda or Cattleya alliances. I know enough to know this is a Zygo of some kind (PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong, it didn't come with a tag), but from what I've read so far, what it needs is way outside of what I'm used to. I plan to repot as soon as it finishes blooming, but I'm not sure what to use. I'm not really set up to grow this guy, my greenhouse is set up for Vandas, high light, warm temps, and automated daily watering. I'd like to hang it up in a basket as it is already a fairly large plant, but I'm thinking S/H is the only thing that will work for my conditions. I prefer media that doesn't break down, mostly because I tend to kill stuff in bark. Also if I pot it, I can set it on the floor by one of my vents where it will get cooler temps. Thoughts? This one is currently hanging over the edges of a 4 inch pot, so I'm thinking about an 8 inch pot. And how often and how much fertilizer do they need?

Very pretty. It looks like a named cultivar (someone help me here, Louise...?)

My zygo is in a cool (never over 70f) north window. It gets bright filtered Phal light. It's in a moss mix and has a fan running all the time. Moist, cool, good air circulation are key. Given your southern climate, the greenhouse might be too warm. If they're happy, they grow fast. The 8" pot is probably ok, imo. I'd use clay as it will keep it cooler.

When I was growing zygos in PA, where the greenhouse was tailored to warm-growers and the summers were damned hot, I found that zygos needed deep shade and lots of air movement. I grew them in S/H culture (be sure the rhizome is at the surface, and not buried into it), with heavy, overhead watering.

What's that the best for them? Absolutely not.

My greenhouse rarely gets above 85F in the winter. If I put this plant in front of a lower vent, then it will get outside air while the vent is open. The vents open automatically when the inside temp hits 75F. I've put a thermometer directly in front of one the vents and the lowest I've recorded is 46F. Do you think this will work for now? I'll have to come up with something different in the summer months if it needs to stay that cool. My high temps will run in the mid 90s for 3 months during the summer. This was a gift so I'd like to keep it alive, but I've always stayed away from cool growers in the past.

---------- Post added at 07:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:50 AM ----------

Thanks, Ray. I can can give it shade and lots of air movement in summer, I just can't give it cool.

To answer your question, I don't know how much heat mine will take. I've never pushed it. When I go to Hausermann's, the room they are in is fairly shady (=cooler) because it's their species room. My gut would say that 85f would be way too hot. I could never keep my greenhouse that cool. Can't it go in the house?

It may have to, at least in the summer. I just don't have a good place to put it given it's size. The only room that has decent light also gets really warm in the summer (faces southwest), but it does stay below 80F.

I'm not sure what you're calling "decent light." Mine is in a north facing greenhouse window. Of course, it has glass on all sides but, it's still north and Indiana. It might not need as much as you think.

Sorry, decent is the wrong term, I'm used to high light plants, the amount of light is fine for a low light plant. I was more worried about the room being too warm, but that is probably my best option.

Fans, sheer curtain... I don't need to tell you that. Or a cooler room with supplemental light?

Here's my window, the Zygo is dead center. The picture is bad becays I have to shoot into the light. I assume you get the idea.